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Selling to Brokers, Suing Fans

Redskins employees have sold thousands of seats to ticket brokers and sued dozens of fans who backed out of multiyear ticket contracts recently, records and interviews show. The team says the broker sales violated policy and are being halted, and that the suits were a last resort after negotiations failed.

The Payday

Prince George's County court rules in favor of the Redskins and awards the team $18,251 on Jan. 9, 2009. Webb takes out a credit card loan to pay the judgment. Also, the Redskins sell Webb's seats to at least one game
-- the St. Louis Rams' visit to FedEx Field on Oct. 12, 2008 --
for $125 each.

The Sale

Alonzo Webb decides to "splurge" in 2004 and signs a six-year contract to purchase club seats at FedEx Field. Webb, a retired Secret Service agent now working as an investigator for the department of Homeland Security, commits to pay about $5,700 a year (or about $285 a game, including preseason) for the seats.

The Lawsuit

In 2008, Webb's wife retires with less income than expected, and Webb could not afford the last two seasons of the contract. He asks for relief because sales people had told him that he could get out of the deal if he could no longer afford it. The team refuses and sues
on Oct. 9, 2008.